Red Warden
by mynameisCOLTON7
Summary: When a military operation goes horribly wrong, Ruby loses all of her team. As the lone survivor, she is forced to live her life without her best friends beside her. See the choices she makes and the person she becomes. First book in the All-But-One AU I have created.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N)- Before We even discuss the story, there are more important things to say. Monty Oum has unfortunately passed away on the day of February 1st, 2015. He was 33 years old. He was one of the most driven men I have ever known, and it is a tragedy to lose such a great and creative mind. He is the reason I decided to pursue animation, and stories such as this would never have existed without him. I know the last thing he would want is for Roosterteeth to cancel RWBY, so I hope they keep at it.**

**In other news, this is a new story that I have decided to try out. My editor and I looked around on the internet, and found stories similar to these in the fact that all but one of the team dies. But I came up with an idea. What if we created four stories, all tied around one horrible event, but each time a different member lived. They would then try to live their lives without their other team members. Sounds like a great idea to me! So we searched around again, and we couldn't find a name for this situation. So we are calling it the All-But-One AU. Tell your friends! **

**Ok, so story description time. team RWBY as of this story is in their 4th year at beacon. So Ruby would be 19. Roman Torchwick has been broken out of jail, and has repartnered with the Vale terrorists (AKA Cinder and crew.) Relationships with the WhiteFang have reached an all time high between the criminals and the gang. Power armor exists! New tech exists! Ozpin and Ironwood have resolved their differences, and are working together again. That's about it. If you have any other question, just leave it in the reviews! I will get back to you almost instantly! Enjoy the very first chapter of the All-But-One AU, Red Warden.**

Team RWBY sat in Headmaster Ozpin's office waiting room. The tick tock tick of Beacon's clock vibrated throughout the room. Ruby began tapping her feet to the rhythm, and it began to make her feel sleepy. To be fair, most things that didn't involve her scythe made her feel sleepy. Team RWBY had been waiting outside of Ozpin's office for close to an hour now, not once even seeing another person enter or leave the office. Yang had pressed her ear to the door multiple times, but she couldn't hear a sound. the door opened suddenly, causing Yang, who currently was trying to eavesdrop, to fall flat on her back.

"Excuse you, Miss Xiao Long." Glynda dusted herself off, even though nothing had touched her. "Professor Ozpin is ready for you now." Glynda gave a flick of her riding crop, and the door opened again. She waited patiently for the four girls to shuffle into the room, Yang rubbing her backside in pain.

Ruby was surprised when she entered the room. Inside was not only Ozpin, but also General Ironwood, accompanied by a score of Atlas Commanders. They all stood around a new holodesk that resided in the middle of Ozpin's office. They seemed to be discussing battle plans, as Ironwood was moving small blue and red pieces around on a floor layout. Everytime General Ironwood would shift a piece, the other commanders would nod, and a few would offer a solid "I see." Nobody seemed able to find a flaw in Ironwood's battle strategy. Except for Weiss.

"You have too many soldiers guarding this hallway, here." She circled the area of mention with her finger. "It would be more beneficial to move three men from that position to… here." She circled another location, where three other blue flags were stationed. "The hallway is a choke point, you do not need so many men to defend it. The extra men would be of exceptional help to the men breaching those two rooms. And also…" Ozpin cleared his throat, silencing Weiss instantly.

"Miss Schnee. I'm sure General Ironwood appreciates your sound military advice, but we have more important matters to attend to." He stood up from behind his glass desk, cane in hand, but without his signature coffee mug. He walked over to the holodesk, and made a few motions with his hands. The flat layout of the floor plan turned into a full 3d model of a large warehouse, the small red and blue flags staying in the same position. "We are about to engage in one of the most important military operations since the Faunus Revolution." He pointed his cane at the four girls. "And we need your help."

"Why? What's happening? Why do you need our help?" Ruby had since stepped forward to the table, and had practically pressed her nose against the building hologram, trying to take in all the positions and tactics.

Ironwood launched into his explanation. "We are planning an assault against the terrorists that have been assaulting Vale. Our informant in the White Fang swears to us that this is their meeting location. He says they will be inside for roughly an hour. An envoy of the White Fang known as Adam Taurus is with them. Along with Roman Torchwick, and multiple others. We need-" Glynda interrupted him.

"We are providing military forces for you to command while inside the building. Each of you will command your own squad of Atlas soldiers. And each of you will go about accomplishing your separate tasks. You will eventually meet back up on the second floor, and assault the conference room directly."

"Conference room? What type of building is this exactly?" Blake stepped forward next to Ruby, raising an eyebrow.

"This is an abandoned school building in the West Expansion of Mt. Glen. It is three stories tall, with the second floor containing a majority of the offices, as well as the nurses station and meeting areas. The first floor is primarily class rooms, as well as the third floor." Spoke a man with a dark green cloak, over shiny silver plate armor. None of team RWBY had noticed him until now, which was surprising, as he was the biggest person in the room. 'He might even be taller than Yatsuhashi' thought the team of Huntresses.

Ozpin spoke up. "I am sorry for not introducing you earlier. Paladin Arnic Bardach. He is head of the Wardens in the Vale area. He and a small unit of his men will assist in the attack on the school building." Paladin Bardach stepped forward and offered his hand to Ruby, who took it gingerly. His hand was large enough to completely cover Ruby's head, so Ruby had to grab his three smallest fingers instead.

"You will be with me, Ms. Rose." Said the Paladin. "You and I, and four of my boys, will make our way to the second floor, and head directly to the conference room."

"Quite right, Paladin Bardach." Ironwood spoke, sliding small holographic figurines across the map projection, moving three men from the first floor to the third. "Ms. Xiao Long will take fifteen soldiers to clear out the groundfloor. Meanwhile, Ms. Schnee will take another dozen to clear out the third floor classrooms. We do not expect that there will be much resistance on the third floor, but we need a full sweep. Ms. Belladonna will take a half-dozen soldiers, scale the walls, and take out any forces on the roof. There will be Bullheads docked up there, and we need them secured before you rejoin your team.

"It's just gonna be six of us on the second floor? Isn't that, like, the most important floor?" Ruby asked, her voice uncertain. She was clearly uncomfortable to be away from her team.

"That is why the Wardens are taking on the second floor, Ms. Rose. You can be well assured that we will not fail." Paladin Bardach finished, walking from the room.

"The Wardens are the best, Ruby. If we had a dozen to use, we wouldn't need near as many Atlas soldiers. But they are few and far between these days. Paladin Bardach is sparing all he can." Said Ozpin, who had since closed the projection of the school house. "General Ironwood, I wish you luck." Ironwood gave a firm salute, which Ozpin mimicked.

"And I to you, old friend." Ironwood said solemnly. He made a motion with his hand, and the Atlas soldiers followed him out.

"Let's hope this is enough…" Ruby said, exiting the room with her team behind her.

Ruby was in a Bullhead with the Paladin Bardach, along with four other Atlas soldiers. They were making their way from Beacon to the outskirts of Mount Glen. The four other Wardens that Bardach spoke of were already on the scene, and had been scouting the area for landing zones and other such information. Ruby and Bardach were to meet up with them as soon as they landed, and begin preparing for the assault. The Paladin assured the Bullhead's occupants of an easy victory, but none seemed encouraged by his words other than Ruby. It was hard not to feel more confident knowing that you would be fighting along side a man the size of Bardach.

Ruby and Bardach had to rappel out of the Bullhead above a small clearing the Wardens had marked. It would be about five miles until they reached the school building. The meeting was not for another day, and the Wardens had already set up a small forward camp. Four tents, that was it. A ring of small machines that Ruby vaguely recognized as Grimm Sonic Emitters were placed around the camp, pulsing a wave of ENTs that no lesser grimm such as Beowolves could feel and deter themselves from the camp.

The Bullhead landed in a large makeshift helipad just outside the camp. When the two were greeted by the group of Wardens, Ruby realised why it only took five of them to equal a full two dozen Atlas soldiers. They were of larger than average size, but not Bardach-big. They wore different armor than the Paladin. The Warden's seemed more high-tech, while Bardach's seemed more flashy.

"Power armor, if you were wondering. They move faster, jump higher, can lift more weight. And get this; two Aura fields." Bardach said to Ruby, whose eyes shot open in amazement at the last fact. "Thought you'd like that. It recharges as well. As long as you don't get hit of course."

Ruby paused, her eyes wide. "...Can I have one?" Ruby begged with desperation in her eyes. Paladin Bardach just shook his head.

"Only way to get one is to join the Wardens. And I don't suppose you would want that. Leaving your team behind to fight as a peacekeeper- not an easy choice." Bardach motioned to his men to form on him. "Ms. Rose, these are the Wardens that will accompany us on the morrow. On the far left is Footpad Conair Daemon, the third in command after me, then you. Next is Prime Aidan Easson. Then Prime Donal Easson, those two are brothers, twins actually. And lastly Prime Reilly. Just Reilly, no last name. Prime Donal, please escort Ms. Rose to her tent."

The third man from the left stepped forward and removed his helmet. He had short cropped blonde hair, and a large scar along his cheek. He gave her a salute, which she returned. "The name's Donal, but I guess you already heard that. Aidan's my brother, but I guess you heard that too." He gave a small chuckle. "Well this is your tent, Ms. Rose." They had stopped beside the smallest tent, still large enough for two.

"Please, call me Ruby." Ruby replied, giving a small smile.

"Whatever the boss says, Ruby." He gave another salute, to which she returned again. He gave her a small nod, turned on his heel, and walked back to Bardach.

The inside of the tent was… nice. All that was in it was a sleeping bag on top of a foam pad. It was a very soft looking sleeping bag, though. Ruby put her sack down in the corner, and her scythe beside the bed.

"Excuse me, Ms. Rose. Food is ready if you are hungry." Ruby turned around to find Prime Donal, peeking into her tent.

"Thank you, Donal. I'm on my way."

"Oh, I'm Aidan." He turned his head and pointed to his cheek. "No scar, see? That's about the only way to tell us apart. Except I have the number 2 on my power armor, and Donal has the number 1."

"Oh, I'm sorry Aidan. You two look exactly the same. Well, you are twins, so I should have guessed you would… But anyways, please call me Ruby. " Ruby repeated, picking back up her scythe. She felt out of place without it on her belt, as both Donal and Aidan carried both rifle and sword.

"Alright then, Ruby. I would hurry if you want your pick of the MREs." He gave her a salute, to which she returned again, before walking off. She had done more saluting in the last five minutes then she had ever done in her life. It made her feel strange. But nevertheless, food awaited. Albeit MREs. Maybe she would be able to try on some of their power armor.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby dined on MRE packs of chili and macaroni, crackers with cheese spread, and some dry beef jerky. There was also some vanilla pudding, but she skipped out on that, after a tip from Donal. Instead she ate some cookies she brought herself. She tried sharing them with the Wardens, but the only person to take one was Donal. She spent a long time studying his face while he was eating. Donal's scar wasn't the kind that looked cool, it was the kind that looked like it was very very painful. It reached from above his ear, down his cheek, then down to the middle of his neck. Upon further inspection, the top of his ear was also cut away. It was no claw or tooth that caused this scar, however. It was the cause of pure steel. An axe, maybe.

The power armor she tried on after dinner was Aidan's, because he was the closest to her size. Which was a stretch, as he stood a foot taller than her. She didn't see the appeal though. Ruby could barely walk, and she could forget about jumping. But then she watched Donal jump five feet off the ground without much force, so it must come with the training. It was still very impressive to her.

Donal and Aidan were funny, and Footpad Conair laughed a few times. Reilly never laughed, or smiled, or spoke, actually.

"Lost his tongue, he did. He didn't speak before either though, so he doesn't care." Donal said to Ruby, as they sat in front of Ruby's tent. She was cleaning her scythe, and Donal was disassembling his rifle repeatedly. "You think the Wardens would have no use for someone without a tongue, but Reilly's a tough old bloke. Kicks my ass in the sparring ring, he does. Aidan's too. Both of us at once I'd reckon. Pistol and shield, he uses, but he ain't bad with a sword either. Or a rifle. Or his bloody fists. Footpad Conair would have a chance. Paladin Bardach would break him. You would do ok." He couldn't seem to stop rambling. But Ruby didn't mind, he was good company. It almost felt like another ranging mission with a senior Hunter, but different. These men were not always so serious, but they would no doubt be serious in a fight. They never argued with each other, never disobeyed. They even called Ruby "boss" which was weird at first, but she got used to it.

"Oh, look at that." He pointed to the sky above them. But Ruby couldn't see a thing. Donal removed his helmet and placed it on Ruby's head. The world became brighter. As if it wasn't pitch black at the moment. In the distance was a golden Nevermore. A Forevermore. Ruby had only ever seen pictures in her text books. "A fine beast, that is."

"Yeah, and a dangerous one." Said Ruby, taking the bulky helmet off of her head. There was a large orange "1" on the back of the black metal.

"Light's out, Prime." Said Bardach from beside Donal, who had since reassembled his rifle for the fifth time. Donal stood and saluted his officer, then walked to the tent he shared with Aidan. Bardach turned to Ruby and gave her a small smile. "You too, Ms. Rose. You will need your sleep, young one."

"Right away, sir." She got up and saluted him as well. He saluted back. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Oh, please do. I always allow my soldiers to speak freely. You need never ask me again."

"Well, it's more of a question." Ruby kicked the dirt. "How old are you?"

"And why does that matter, young one?" He walked to the middle of camp and watched as the two occupied tents went dark. "I am 52, Ms. Rose, and you are 19. The Easson twins are 24. Footpad Daemon is 26, and Reilly is 30. Age is not a matter in the Wardens. Death comes to us all, some sooner than later. Putting a timer on death is an ill omen. I will die, but not from being older than you." He turned around to face her. "You have bonded with the Easson twins in these last few hours, and that's ok. But come tomorrow night, you may never see them again, and that is also ok. For they died in battle, and that is all anyone ever asked for in the Wardens. They would give their life for you, Ms. Rose… Just don't ask them to. Sleep well." He saluted her again. She saluted back.

"Well that was a bummer." She mumbled. She slowly turned and shuffled back into her tent and laid her scythe down. "I would never ask anyone to die for me…" Said Ruby aloud. She fell asleep repeating that sentence in her head.


	3. Chapter 3

**(AN)- Plot armor has been completely removed for this chapter, along with the next chapter. Be prepared! I hope you like the story!**

_editor's note: i feel that i should warn you for the end of this chapter. there is some major character death and scenes of violent and, perhaps, disturbing death. viewer discretion advised. _

Ruby and the Wardens were currently stationed about half of a mile back into the treeline, with Donal currently up in the foliage, scouting the school house. Ruby bounced up and down on her toes in anxiety.

"Threats are spotted. I see four Bullheads, each with six heat signatures a piece." Donal had his eyes trained far into the distance, his high-tech helmet capturing infrared signals even at this distance. "A fifth just landed. Priority Ones are on the roof. Green light in five minutes." He let go of the tree and landed on his feet, and his billowing green cloak of the Vale sanction Wardens whipped behind him as he fell, landing almost gracefully, because of his slim but bulky armor.

"It is time to move. We must make haste. Reilly, you take point. Aidan take far left flank. We meet behind the warehouse. Synchronize timers on my mark. Mark." Paladin Bardach rattled off commands without a break in between, but yet each Warden listened and understood. "Take this, Ms. Rose. A visor with a friend-or-foe tracker, it also has a synchronized timer, as well as a transmitter for speaking with us Wardens. Reilly can't speak, so he uses a series of beeps from his helmet. The only beeps you need to know are clear, one short beep. Stop, three short beeps. Danger, a series of constant beeping. Only those three, no more will be needed. Let us move."

If the other hunters thought Ruby was fast, they had obviously never met a Warden in full armor. Each Warden dwarfed Ruby by at least a foot, but yet such large men could easily keep pace with her.

They reached the warehouse in under two minutes. Blake and her team of six Atlas Stalkers were also camped inside, awaiting their time to strike. Ruby was thankful for her visor, as each stealth soldier was hidden so well, the only reason she noticed them was because they were colored green. Blake approached Ruby and shared a small, one-armed hug of relief, glad they could speak for a short moment.

"I'm glad to see you Ruby. Yang and her squad are on the opposite side of the yard from us, and Weiss is on our right side. In a minute we will move to the left, and start climbing." Blake explained as she studied a room layout of the third floor.

"I can't believe we're actually about to do this. It's making me nervous now that I'm here. Are you sure it will be ok?" Ruby was sitting on a box, kicking her feet into the air, as if she were still the child she was when they first eyebrows were furrowed and her voice carried a wave of anxiety.

"Yes Ruby, I'm absolutely sure."

"You pinky promise?" Ruby held out her smallest finger hesitantly. Blake wrapped her own slender digit around her leader's smaller one.

"Ms. Belladonna, our time is now" A Stalker tapped on Blake's shoulder from behind. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"It will be ok, Ruby. We will see each other in a while." They embraced once more in goodbye, and Blake followed her second in command out the back door.

"I think we should head out as well. We don't want the party to start without the key players." Donal had rested his armored glove on Ruby's shoulder, and it felt like it weighed ten pounds to the red team leader. The darkness in the warehouse played tricks across his face and fooled Ruby's eyes, and made it look as if he had no scar. He was actually quite handsome.

"The main door is three-hundred feet from our current position. Ms. Xiao Long will breach with us. They are already at the door." Paladin Bardach dropped his helmet carefully back over his head, and the other Wardens followed suit. Ruby perked up at the news, excited that she got to see her sister.

The schoolhouse was larger than she would have thought at first, about the size of Signal. Exactly as Bardach said, Yang and her team of fifteen soldiers had taken positions beside the door, out of sight from any eyes inside. Yang was a flash of gold among the gray armor, a striking contrast. When she saw Ruby approaching she jumped and waved, all while remaining completely silent. The sisters embraced, only this hug was much more powerful. Ruby felt like it almost broke her back.

"This is so badass!" Yang screamed in a whisper, unable to contain her excitement. "We're gonna destroy them, Ruby!"

"If you say so, Yang. Why are you so excited?" Ruby asked.

"We've been waiting for this day for three years. And now it's finally time to take them down. We're faster and stronger than we were last time, we can't be stopped now."

"Ms. Xiao Long, are you ready to begin?" Bardach asked from beside Ruby. He seemed eager to launch the assault.

"Yep. I'm ready. Rubes, call it in." Yang replied, a wide smile on her face.

"Wait, me? What do I even say?" Ruby asked in a panic, started at this sudden moment of pressure. Her eyes darted between everyone surrounding her.

"Just say something badass."

"Uhm, ok." Ruby pressed the full broadcast button on her visor. She remembered something Donal said in the woods. "Greenlight is a go. Commence the assault."

Within an instant, shots were heard from the roof as Blake began her fight. Yang herself kicked open the front door. A few seconds later, a shot rang out from down the hallway, taking an Atlas soldier in the shoulder. The shooter was a startled White Fang grunt, who gave another few shots before turning tail and running down the opposite hallway. Yang and her soldiers ran into the building, taking cover and clearing the old classrooms.

Ruby followed Bardach up the stairs to their immediate right. The stairs followed the outline of the school, making a right-angle turn at the corner. On the platform for the second floor they encountered three White Fang, but Bardach slew two with a single movement, and the other caught Aidan's bullet right in his mask. A moment later they encountered Weiss, who was leading her squad of soldiers up the stairs to the third floor, her sword already glistening with a red sheen. They shared a quick nod, no time for hugs. As they parted ways, and Weiss began her assent, Ruby heard a scuffle from behind her. She turned around on a dime, and saw one of Weiss soldiers with a blade embedded in his chest plate. The owner of the blade was pinned to the wall by Weiss' sword through their stomach, along with three bullet wounds across their chest. Weiss barred her teeth at the dead gang member, before pulling her sword from their gut, letting them slump to the floor.

"We must hurry, Ruby." This was the first time Bardach had called her anything but Ms. Rose. "Ms. Schnee is very capable of handling herself." Bardach had positioned himself in front of Ruby, his collapsible shield raised to protect the two. Reilly and Conair had blockaded the hallway with their own shields. The twins were covering with their rifles. "This is no time to be distracted."

"I'm sorry. We should go." The shield bearers began moving, crouched, down the hallway. The Wardens carrying their rifles moved in behind them. Two White Fang gang members turned a corner, rifles in position. Donal took out one before they could fire. The remaining gang member shot once, which connected against Bardach's shield, before he was taken down by Aidan.

"Aidan and Donal, clear room left. I'll take room right. Ruby, I need you to cover this hallway." The Paladin commanded, collapsing his shield and holding his shotgun as he spoke.  
"Breach." Donal said before he kicked in the door, and Aidan rushed the White Fang. Three shots were heard inside. Bardach blew the lock off of his door, before using it as cover to take out an enemy inside. He cocked his head to the side, before having a red dust explosion take him in the chest, which knocked him back a few feet. He fired once more from the hip, before walking further into the room out of sight.

Ruby turned her attention back to the hallway just in time, as another two gang members sprung from a classroom. Ruby's first shot took the White Fang in the front off his feet. He fell backwards on top of the other, pinning him to the ground. Reilly loosed a pistol from his belt, and fired a shot into the head of the downed White Fang. He gave one clear beep over the radio. By this time Donal and Aidan rejoined the group in the hallway. The door to Bardach's room had closed on it's own, but was slung back open by the Paladin himself, who was dragging a red headed man in a white suit into the hallway. The man was missing his leg from the knee down. He was still alive and struggling.

"I need a second person to confirm this man's identity as Roman Torchwick." Bardach tossed the man in front of him, and pressed his shotgun to his head.

Ruby crouched in front of the wounded man, who was creating a pool of blood from his blown off limb. She hadn't seen Roman Torchwick since the train incident, but she was sure she would remember him. "Oh. Hey Red." He said between panting breaths. His voice was heavy with pain and years of smoking. A sick smile grew on his face. Ruby nodded reluctantly.

"Donal. Dispose of him." Bardach stepped back and put his gigantic arm in front of Ruby's eyes, blocking her vision. A shot was fired before Ruby could move around the arm, but she flinched at the loud band that pierced the silence. Torchwick lay dead on the floor. A clean bullet hole was present in his forehead, just above his eyes. Bardach laid the hat he was holding over the dead criminals face. He might have been sleeping if not for the missing leg. "Let's keep moving. We've removed one, but there are still more."

"Why was he in that room instead of the conference hall?" Conair moved from the back of the group to the Paladin, and asked as the procession proceeded slowly down the hall.

"He was speaking to a White Fang officer. Our informant lay dead at his feet. I guess they found him out." Bardach replied gruffly, and he activated his shield once more. "We were lucky that a Warden went in. He blasted me with a cane, it would have killed a normal man." Bardach added.

_Oh tell me about it. _Ruby thought. _I've been hit with that cane too. Not fun!_ They made it halfway down the hallway when two grunts surprised them from either doorway to their immediate left and right. The two in front tried to wrench the shields away from Reilly and Conair, but to no avail. Reilly, who still had his pistol out, shot each attacker in the knee, causing them to fall to the floor. The one directly in front of himself he finished with a headshot. The second was not so lucky. As he fell, he slumped over Conair's shield. Using the jump jets in his boots, Conair blasted himself a foot in the air, bashing the injured man towards his companions, who both dodged out of his way. The two other gang members had made it around the shield holders, and were advancing towards the other Wardens.

Before Aidan could drop his rifle, a White Fang thrusted his blade and embedded it into the gun's mechanisms, disabling it indefinitely. The Warden's armor may be strong, but it couldn't account for the inferior metals that made up their rifles. Ruby acted against the danger and morphed her scythe into blade form before Bardach could pull his sword. She sliced the remaining opponent with a diagonal slice that spilled forth rose petals as he fell. The other was in a losing grapple match against Aidan, before Ruby slammed her bladed pommel into the man's head, silencing him. Bardach tossed his own rifle to Aidan.

They made it to the conference hall before either of the other team members. "All teams, Warden Squad has reached the Conference Room. Be prepared to cease fire upon arrival." Paladin Bardach called over his microphone to the other squadrons. It replayed itself in Ruby's own ears. At exactly that time, Weiss marched down the stairs with Blake in tow. A number of their soldiers had been killed, with Weiss losing about half of her original amount, and Blake losing one Stalker.

The remaining soldiers set up a blockade on both the stairs and the hallway, as to not be surprised. Yang had arrived by then, with roughly half of her soldiers killed as well. They joined the barricade along side the other soldiers. "Atlas soldiers. No matter what you hear inside, do not leave your posts. We need no one surprising us." Paladin Bardach spoke with undoubted authority. "Reilly, breach." Reilly responded with a beep.

Reilly put his hands on the door to prepare for a kick, but as soon as he made contact the door exploded from the other side, driving it into Reilly. He held firm, keeping his feet despite an explosion, and threw the door back into the room before charging in, shield raised. Behind him, an onslaught of the other Wardens and the infamous Team RWBY, prepared to plow through the knot of White Fang officials stationed inside. However, who they found was not who they were expecting. There stood three figures that did not match the description of the priority targets.

Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai stood side by side behind one of the office chairs that had been moved to the end of the long room. Sitting in the chair was a small girl with an umbrella covering all but her legs. Despite the covering, Yang had an easy enough time recognizing the small girl.

"You!" She screamed across the room, her hair already alight. She sent a fiery blast across the room that connected with the Umbrella wielding outlaw, but she simply shattered as she had once before on the highway. Mercury and Emerald had dodged to the side. Neo came down upon the blonde huntress from the ceiling seemingly out of thin air, barely missing Yang's shoulder with her umbrella blade. Instead, it slashed open Yang's top, revealing even more of the blonde's cleavage. From the way the ice cream bandit smiled afterwards, it would seem she meant to miss. "I'll fucking kill you!" Yang screamed as she charged forward, ignoring her better senses. She punched Neo once, only for her to shatter and reappear behind her. She punched again, only for the same thing to happen. The rest of the terrorists had joined the fight by then, ignoring Yang, and bum-rushing the other fighters.

Emerald fired upon Ruby and the Wardens, the bullets being blocked by Conair. Mercury took his chances with Blake and Weiss, assisted by Donal and Aidan, each with a sword and shield. His first attack was an over head kick that smashed into Donal's shield, knocking the Warden off balance and pushing him to the floor. He aimed another kick at Blake, who parried him with her sword. Weiss lunged at him, but he rolled backwards and fired a shot from his boots while on the floor. It connected against Aidan's shield, who had jumped in front of Weiss. Mercury regained his feet and went in to attack again.

Paladin Bardach went to help Yang, who was getting angrier by the minute. Neo backflipped away from Yang, glanced at Bardach, and then winked at him. Bardach unslung his sword and came at Neo with a two handed slice that could split a tree. Neo ducked under the first chop, then the second. After the third, she rolled under his blade and tried to prick him with her blade, but it deflected off his armor. She rose between his body and his blade, making it impossible to cut her. She kissed him on his helmet's visor, before dropping between his legs and vaulting Yang, making a beeline for Ruby and the other Warden's who were currently fighting Emerald.

Emerald had no easy time fighting the hooded girl and the two Wardens. Her guns were useless, but the hooked blades gave her an advantage. She went into attack Ruby, but switched targets mid-swing and caught Conair around the shield, biting into the lightly armored area of his elbow. Emerald spun around the wounded Warden, removed his helmet, and pushed off of him back towards the leader of team RWBY.

Neo made it to the other team before Yang or Bardach could catch her. As she approached, she saw Emerald had taken the helmet off one of the Wardens. She jumped into the air towards the unhelmeted Warden Conair. He spun just in time, so she planted her feet against his chest, driving her skinny blade through his unarmored throat. She gave an unceremonious twist of her blade before removing it from the wound. She gave a wicked smile before spinning to receive a cut from the head Warden. She teleported into shards once again, but this time she reappeared at the far end of the room, holding a small black box.

Mercury kicked once more at Blake, who once again dodged his boot. Both huntresses flew at him with a flurry of thirsty metal, but he was too fast for their swords, stepping out of the way of each cut. He pushed both back with a kick, before slamming Donal to the floor once more, but this time, he kept his ground. Donal went to one knee, raised his sword, and took Mercury's leg off above the boot with a hard swipe. He went down screaming and grasping at his blooded knee. Weiss silenced him with a stab through his wide open mouth, and he twitched as his lifeblood poured from the wound in his throat. They turned their attention towards the little girl standing at the head of the room.

"Bomb!" Yelled Blake over the headset, pointing towards Neo, who had since abandoned the bomb, and was sprinting for the one door in the room.

When Emerald heard Mercury yelling over the commotion, she tried to make a run for him, but was caught in the stomach by Ruby's scythe, causing a burst of rose petals to fly into the air. She was lifted into the air, and thrown across the room against the wall, before she fell another ten feet to the ground. She didn't move.

"Everyone out, now!" Ordered Bardach, and everyone was all too eager to obey. Except for Yang, whose sole intention was to kill Neo. She intercepted the small girl with a punch, that unsurprisingly only caused another eruption of the glass from the girl. The others had already made it through the doorway, but they all turned around when they realized Yang had stopped.

Yang punched once, then twice, then again, all a miss. Neo grabbed Yang and spun around her in mid air. She dropped to the floor and slid between the brawlers legs. She came up behind her, and held her blade out in front of herself. When Yang spun and lunged, she impaled herself on the blade, entirely by her own force. Neo had used her own strength against her. She was smiling as sweet as could be as Yang stood impaled upon the blade. She turned to the others and blew a kiss.

Ruby tried to charge back in, but was stopped by Bardach, who held on to her shoulder, preventing all forward motion. As he was stopping her, Yang had regained herself, and lunged again at Neo, further impaling herself. She grabbed Neo around the arm, causing her to release her grip on the sword. She spun Neo around, before connecting her fist into the girl's face. Yang lifted her off the ground, all while a sword was embedded to the hilt within her stomach. Neo looked at Yang's red eyes with her own mismatched ones, before her head was snapped around to face the opposite direction. Yang dropped the lifeless body and fell to her knees. Her hair stopped burning, and her eyes returned to their soft shade of lilac. She looked one last time at the group. Her eyes were wide open and full of sorrow as they pierced Ruby's silver ones, tears streaming from both of the girls' eyes. In an instant, an explosion erupted in the room, blasting the team outside away from the door.

The inside of the room collapsed, blocking the doorway. There was no way to get back into the room. No way to save Yang.


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N)- "If the silence takes you then I hope it takes me too" ~Death Cab For Cutie.**

**The song Soul Meets Body by the above mentioned artist kind of inspired this story, more specifically this chapter. You can find multiple references to that song within this chapter and those to come. I hope you have a great time reading this chapter. Main character plot armor has been removed for this.**

_editor's note: really heavy stuff in this chapter, don't say i didnt warn you! enjoy~_

Ruby was slowly coming to, her vision fuzzy. She felt strong hands flip her over onto her back, and she was face to face with a blurry helmet. There was smoke everywhere, and there was fire on the ceiling.

"Wake yourself, Ruby, or I will be forced to carry you." Bardach said, shaking her to consciousness. She slowly started to rise.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Ruby took a look around the destroyed hallway. There were a few dead soldiers half buried in the rubble of a door. "Where's Yang?" And then she remembered. "Yang!" Ruby launched herself at the destroyed door, almost burning herself on the fire that surrounded it. She tried with all her might to dig through the rubble, but was again pulled back by Bardach.

He stared directly into her face, his visor raised. Ruby could see grief in the hard lines of his face. "She is gone, Ruby. Now is not the time to grieve. You must remain strong for your team." Ruby replied with a firm but sorrow nod.

Ruby looked around the shattered hallway once again. Donal and Reilly were crouched over Aidan, who was on the floor with his helmet off. Less than a dozen Atlesian soldiers were left alive, the rest had died during the explosion. Blake was sitting against the wall, her knees tucked up to her chin. Weiss was trying to get her to rise, but to no avail. She took a few steps towards her remaining teammates in the corner.

"Blake, are you hurt?" Ruby said to the dark haired girl, who was still cowering behind her knees. The later shook her head furiously from left to right. "Weiss what's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. I think she's in shock. She won't even speak to me. Or get up." Weiss replied, her voice overflowing with poorly hidden worry. Despite her crisp attitude, Ruby could see that Weiss was deeply hurt, but she knew the mission came first. Blake, on the other hand, was not able to manage this.

"Come on Blake, we need to go." Weiss grabbed on to Blake hand and tried to lift her. Blake was barely lifted off the ground before she started shaking her head furiously again, and making a sound that seemed close to a whimper. "Ruby, help me carry her."

Ruby made a move to help pick up Blake, but was interrupted by Donal stepping in front of her. He had blood dripping from his gauntlets, but he ignored it and hoisted the struggling Blake over his shoulder. She was squirming under his superior grip, and was slamming her fists against his heavily armored back in a futile attempt to escape.

"Thanks Donal. We need to get out of here before the building collapses around us." Ruby and Weiss led the way down the hallway cautiously, followed by Donal carrying Blake. Behind him was Bardach, then Reilly helping Aidan, who had a heavy bandage wrapped around his previously uninjured eye. Last was the company of surviving soldiers.

They were just passing the corpse of Torchwick, at which Weiss was staring at wide-eyed, before another explosion erupted from the room he was in previously, along with another explosion below them. The latest bomb threw the team against the wall, and ripped a hole in the floor below them. This one fortunately did not leave Ruby unconscious, but still rattled her brain and made her dizzy. When she got off the ground she saw Donal checking on Blake, who seemed uninjured still. Reilly was helping Aidan back to his feet, and Bardach was checking the soldiers that had died in the second explosion. But there was a severe lack of Weiss among the group. It only took one look below them through the hole in the floor to realize Weiss had fallen through, and was laying in a crater on the first floor, seemingly unconscious.

"Weiss! Donal, somebody, help Weiss!" Ruby shrieked. Donal jolted to his feet, and jogged over to the hole. Blake had taken to cowering on the floor again, but looked up when she heard Ruby scream. Her eyes were wide with fear and a sorrow no one else must've witnessed.

Donal took one look down at Weiss, before preparing to jump down into the hole. Bardach had joined the group again, and upon Donal's leap he screamed out. "No Donal! You are too heavy!" But he was all too late.

Donal made contact with the crater, and immediately it started to crumble, falling down into the deep caverns below Mount Glenn. He rushed to grab Weiss, who was jolted awake, and was scrambling to gain footing on the collapsing floor. Her feet slipped down into nothingness, and she was now pulling herself with her hands, trying to escape the abyss.

Donal grabbed Weiss around the waist, and pulled her up to his chest. The combined weight was too much for the floor below them though, and it immediately stopped its steady crumbling and began falling in large chunks, beginning to take the duo with it.

Ruby heard Donal in her headset, giving grunts of exertion and the occasional swear. She heard Weiss much more clearly though, she was screaming and letting out incomprehensible sobs. Ruby could do nothing to help the two, and that made it even worse.

Donal finally threw Weiss ahead of him down the hallway, to apparent safety. Donal himself slipped and fell down into the darkness, but was able to grab onto the crumbling floor with one hand. He seemed as if he was about to recover, but Weiss tried to help him get up, unknowing that she doomed the both of them.

"Move! Get back, damn you!" Donal shouted, but Weiss didn't seem to get the picture. The entire building shifted on its foundation, making Weiss trip forward head first down the hole. Donal was able to grip her by the wrist, but this only caused the two to fall together. Donal cursed through the headset, while spouting apologizes to both Weiss and his fellow Wardens. Weiss screams died away to the group on the second floor, but Donal was still able to be heard by everyone.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. I tried Ruby, I tried." Were his last words besides a guttural gasp of pain, as his communication went dark, after he assumingly hit the bottom of the ravine.

Ruby could only slump down to her hands and knees, completely speechless. Aidan had broken free from Reilly, and fell down beside her. He was crying, tear drops falling down into the darkness. His tears were pink from the blood running down his face from under the bandage.

"I'm sorry, Aidan. I didn't mean to…" Ruby said through the tears that spilled down her cheeks. She placed a trembling hand on the remaining twin. He shrugged her hand off, and gripped the edge of the hole so hard he broke a chunk off in his hand.

"You…" He coughed, then spit out blood. "You killed him… You told him to help her… And now he's dead…" He spit up more blood. "He didn't have to die…"

"Aidan, I didn't mean to. I swear, I wasn't thinking." Ruby was choking on sobs.

"Oh, I can tell you were not thinking." He got up off the ground, wiped the blood from his good eye, and began walking down the hall towards the exit.

"Aidan, wait!" Ruby began to follow him, but Bardach grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Just let him go, Miss Rose. We should be out of danger now." Bardach took one last glimpse down at the the dark abyss. "There were too many deaths today. Let's try not to add any more to the list."

Ruby heard a verbal flurry of beeps over her radio. Danger. She turned around just in time to be knocked aside by a certain Blake Belladonna, who was sprinting as hard as she could down the hallway, blowing past Aidan, and taking the turn down the stairwell at mach speed.

"Blake! Come back!" Ruby screamed after her friend, but the later had no intention of slowing down. Ruby took off after the raven haired girl, followed close behind by the two Wardens and the other soldiers.

Ruby was the first to reach her. The front door had been barricaded from the inside, and Blake was furiously trying to knock it down. As Ruby reached her hand towards her friend, Blake reeled back and launched a powerful kick straight into the door, bursting it off it's frame. She ran outside, but was stopped in her tracks at the sight of a lone Atlas soldier, standing in a ring corpses, belonging to other Atlas soldiers. along with countless White Fang.

"Soldier. Report what happened here." Commanded Bardach, with the utmost authority.

The soldier cleared his throat, and spoke in a smooth and clear manner of speech. His voice was deep and gravely, and it made Blake's feline ears smooth back, and the hair on her arms to rise. She recognized that voice.

"Sir. My squad was attacked by a force of White Fang grunts. I'm the last one left of Domino squad." He was staring directly at Blake as he spoke, the helmet of his uniform blocked most of his face, but he hid a slight smirk. He carried no service rifle or blade. Instead he had a shotgun with a sword sheathed in the barrel.

"You never reported an attack, soldier." Bardach said, his hand on the grip of his large shotgun.

"The communication chip in my helmet is busted." The man removed his helmet and handed it to Bardach, who began to inspect. In the mean time, the bull horned faunas continued to stare a Blake, who was gasping like a fish out of water. She reached for Gambol Shroud over her shoulder, but only grasped air. It must have been lost in the explosion. The soldier simply shook his head at her. He began walking towards Blake, no one seemed to care enough to stop him.

"R-Ruby." Was all Blake could say, she was in too much shock.

"What is it Blake?" She glanced at the approaching medic. "What are you doing?"

"I'm a medic with the Atlesian Army. Your friend seems in shock. I was only going to take a look at her." He had stopped walking and was holding up his hands in assurance.

"See Blake, he just wants to make sure you're ok." Ruby walked back to Bardach, leaving Blake with her past mentor.

"Please… Don't." Was Blake's only response, before Adam Taurus pulled his own White Fang mask from a satchel on his side. He held it out to Blake.

Blake stared at it for a long time, before she made one of the worst decisions in her life. "No"

"Very well. I love you, Blake."

Adam ejected his blade into the air, all the while he spun and blasted the last two Atlas soldiers that survived the assault. The rest of the squad was spinning around at the sound, all as Adam snatched his falling sword out of the air, spinning around, and driving it home into Blake's sternum, the hilt of his sword meeting her chest. He held her close for a few seconds, before donning his mask for the last time.

A sniper round connected into his right shoulder, taking his arm off. He hit the ground hard next to Blake, a pool of his own blood was flooding the pavement. He was down for only a few seconds before he gave a laugh that filled Ruby with fear. He rose to his feet slowly, ripping his blade from Blake with his left hand. The markings on his mask began to glow. He gave a strong horizontal strike with his sword, causing a blast of red energy to fly towards the group.

Bardach took the blast directly in the chest, blocking it from ripping Ruby to shreds. He fell forwards on to one knee, clutching at his ribs, where blood was beginning to seep through his fingers. The rest of the group had taken cover behind a dumpster during the fight, and was spared of any damage from the attack.

That last attack drained Adam. He slumped down next to Blake, before he let out his last breath and expired. His injury finally caught up with him. Ruby had reached Blake before Adam even hit the ground. Bardach was cared for by Reilly, and Aidan was calling for a medic. From what Ruby heard, Adam had told the Bullhead pilots that everyone was out, and that he and Domino squad were staying behind on clean up. They had unknowingly left them for dead.

Blake was somehow still grasping at blade had made a clear cut completely through her, missing her heart and lungs. The blade had broken her spine though, as such Blake was completely paralyzed from the incision down. She could still move her arms though, albeit with excruciating pain, and she was using the last of her strength to hold Ruby's hand.

"Yang… Yang?" Whispered Blake, holding Ruby's hand all the tighter.

"No, Yang isn't here anymore." Said Ruby, whose tears were falling on to the pavement beside Blake.

"Weiss… Weiss please."

"Weiss isn't here either." Reilly had finished with Bardach, and was now crouching next to Blake. trying to stem her wounds. Blood had begun trickling from the corner of Blake's mouth.

"R-Ruby. I'm sorry Ruby. I'm… Sorry. I'm… I'm…" Blake hand went limp in Ruby's palm, which caused Ruby to squeeze it tighter. Her tears had stopped falling, Ruby had cried herself out over the last half hour. Reilly placed his gloved hand upon Ruby's shoulder.

His tinted visor raised in a quick _click_, and he mouthed words to her while a voice like that of Bardach's played in her head set. "If the Darkness takes you, may then it take me too." He removed his hand from her shoulder, and closed Blakes eyes with a slight motion of his fingers across her face.

Ruby heard multiple sharp cracks from above her as six gray airships like those she had never seen seemingly flashed into existence. These ships were obviously way more advanced than a simple Bullhead.

Multiple dark shapes started falling from the ships. As they hit the ground she saw that they were more Wardens. Five. No, ten. Twenty? Thirty? They all hit the ground with a crack, rising up with rifles on shoulders. Three of them grabbed Bardach, and using the jet packs on their backs, lifted him up into the sky to the waiting airships. Another two grabbed Aidan, and he too was lifted up and up, into the sky above. Reilly was tossed his own jet pack, and he too flew into the ether. When it came time for Ruby, a Warden comparatively smaller than the rest approached her, and they too placed their hand on her shoulder. Their visor was raised to show a great deal of freckles, along with deep yellow eyes that reminded her of Blake's. She spoke in a feminine voice that took Ruby aback. "If the Darkness takes you, may then it take me too."

Every Warden in the lot turned to look at her, and all twenty raised their visors simultaneously. "May then it take me too." They all said in a solemn chant.

All in an instant Ruby was whisked away into the night sky. She saw from afar as Blake was picked up bridal style by a single Warden, and she too was brought upwards.

When Ruby reached the hull of this advanced airship, she was met with an almost empty ship. Bardach had already been taken away to the medbay, and Aidan was on his way there at that moment. But he stopped in the doorway, and repeated what the Wardens had said below. "May then it take me too." He then continued into the hallway. Ruby was there with a somehow even more quite Reilly, and the ginger Warden that had lifted her to the ship.

Reilly was leaning against the wall of the ship, he had removed his helmet and weapons. His weathered face showed signs of grief, and his eyes were hidden behind his eyelids. He opened them finally and looked at the Warden girl.

"Hey brown eyes." Said the lady Warden. Ruby had finally noticed Reilly's eyes, and they were truly the brownest eyes she had ever seen. Like dark chocolate. "What's the deal?"

Reilly held up his index finger, then gritted his teeth and clenched his fist into a white knuckle grip. "Oh. Donal. I can't believe it…"

At that Ruby stormed out, almost running into the automatic door as she was walking faster than it could open. She had to get away from whatever she was gonna say. She had to find somewhere she could cry alone.


End file.
